I went to see it! "Another Utagawa School?! Kuniyoshi, Yoshitoshi, Toshihide, Eihō, Tomoyo: From Ukiyo-e to Illustrations... The Proud Artists Who Inherited the Utagawa School" Exhibition at the Yayoi Museum

Since the end of February, many art museums and museums have been temporarily closed, but some, especially small-scale and private ones, are continuing to operate. The Yayoi Museum in Bunkyo Ward, near the University of Tokyo, is one of them.

This exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Ota Memorial Museum of Art in Harajuku, and although the space is not large, it is well worth seeing, and I spent quite a lot of time appreciating it.

I leave it to you to decide whether or not to go out now, but I personally feel that it is precisely because of these times that taking time to experience art is important.

Venue: Yayoi Museum (Nezu, Tokyo)
Dates: January 7 (Tue) – March 29 (Sun), 2020
Hours: 10:00 – 17:00 *Last admission 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Mondays
Admission: General 900 yen, University/High school students 800 yen, Junior high/Elementary school students 400 yen
(Admission also includes the adjacent Takehisa Yumeji Museum)

◎ Why I decided to go see it

I learned about the exhibition from a poster displayed inside the Ota Memorial Museum of Art when I visited before it temporarily closed. The works of Eihō Hirezaki were even more wonderful than I had expected, and I was still lingering on that impression, so I thought, "I want to know more about Eihō Hirezaki! I must go to the Yayoi Museum too!"

There was also an announcement for the Ota Memorial Museum of Art inside the Yayoi Museum. You get a discount if you bring your ticket stub.

◎ What kind of exhibition is it?

The largest faction in the world of ukiyo-e, starting with Toyoharu Utagawa, is called the "Utagawa School." The glamorous lineage that branches from Toyoharu to Toyokuni, then from Kuniyoshi to Yoshitoshi, and continues to Toshikata, Kiyokata, and Shinsui is well known.
However, there is another excellent Utagawa School lineage!
That is the Toshihide → Eihō → Tomoyo lineage. Their extraordinary talents, which flourished and gained immense popularity during the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras, are too precious to be forgotten. It can be said that the spirit of Kuniyoshi and Yoshitoshi, who lived as town artists supported by the common people, was passed down steadily to Toshihide, Eihō, and Tomoyo.
From ukiyo-e to illustrations... Artists who, while holding the pride of inheriting the Utagawa School and soaring in the world of illustrations, were buried by the passage of time. The unknown "other Utagawa School" is now vividly revived.
(From the Yayoi Museum Official Website).

That's right. There were "two" Utagawa Schools!!!
But why is Kiyokata famous while Eihō was forgotten... It has to do with the difference between switching from frontispiece (kuchie) to Japanese-style painting or mastering the path of a frontispiece artist, and it is also related to the prosperity of the frontispiece.

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At the Yayoi Museum, the career and works of each artist are exhibited along the lineage. The exhibition was particularly rich regarding Eihō and his teacher, Toshihide Migita.

End of Edo period: Kuniyoshi Utagawa (1798-1861)
　　↓
Late Edo to Meiji: Yoshitoshi Tsukioka (1839-92)
　　↓
Meiji to Taisho: Toshihide Migita (1863-1925)
　　↓
Meiji to Showa: Eihō Hirezaki (1880-1968)
　　↓
Taisho to Heisei: Tomoyo Jimbo (1902-1994)

Personally, I am the type of person who is curious about who was a student of whom, who were friends, acquaintances, or rivals, what was happening in the era when the artists lived, and what kind of encounters they had, so I found this exhibition format of following the lineage interesting and very enjoyable.

◎ Are there audio guides or merchandise?

There is no audio guide, but the exhibition rooms have plenty of explanatory panels.
However, it might be a bit hard to read if it gets crowded...

The exhibition is arranged in chronological order, from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor. Exhibits from Eihō Hirezaki onwards were on the 2nd floor, and up to Toshihide Migita were on the 1st floor.
(By the way, please note that it seemed you could only get to the 2nd floor by stairs.)

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You can find merchandise in the lobby area on the 1st floor.
The exhibition catalog (I believe it was 1,800 yen), which was also sold at the Ota Memorial Museum of Art, and postcards of some of the exhibited works were on sale.
In addition, you can pick up goods related to Yumeji Takehisa, whose illustrations and Ginza Senbikiya package designs can be seen at the adjacent Takehisa Yumeji Museum, as well as postcards of Kashō Takabatake, an illustrator who was all the rage from the end of the Taisho to the early Showa period and is permanently exhibited on the 3rd floor, along with various books.

By the way, there are no lockers in the museum, but they were kind enough to store my coat and large luggage for free at the reception desk right after entering. Much appreciated!!!

◎ To begin with, what kind of person was Eihō Hirezaki?

Eihō Hiresaki (1880/Meiji 13–1968/Shōwa 43) was born in Kyōbashi, Tokyo.
The episodes of Eihō-san carefully written on the exhibition panels in the museum gave a glimpse into his wonderful personality.

At the same time, the content also made me think that it was precisely because he lived his days so diligently that he was able to attract important encounters and opportunities.

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When Eihō-san was born, his father had gone missing. His mother, Raku-san, was 16, and since raising a child as a single mother was extremely difficult, he was raised by his maternal grandparents. From the time he entered Tsukiji Meikyō School at age eight, he already loved drawing. After graduating, he was a truly well-behaved boy who studied Chinese classics and arithmetic during the day and helped his grandfather with his work at night.

That reputation spread by word of mouth from the owner of a night-selling soba stall to the head clerk of the Takeshita footwear shop in Kakigara-chō, Nihonbashi Ward, and from the clerk to the owner, Kasaburō-san, leading him to enter a seven-year apprenticeship at the age of 12. He was loved by everyone at his place of service, and because he worked so hard, he gained trust and was promoted to head clerk by the age of 16.

The sketches he likely drew up to this point were so skillful that it was hard to believe they were self-taught. The quality did not look like it was drawn by an elementary school student at all. It seems he already possessed high artistic ability and a sharp eye for observation from that time.

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His encounter with his mentor, the ukiyo-e artist Toshihide Migita,was also through an introduction. His drawings caught the eye of a customer at the shop, which led to him being introduced to Toshihide Migita. At this time, Toshihide was 34 and already a popular artist with a serialized illustration in a newspaper. The shop owner must have thought this was an important opportunity for Eihō-san, as he waived the remaining two years of his apprenticeship, and Eihō-san began his training at age 17.

In 1901/Meiji 34, he formed a Japanese painting research group with Kiyokata Kaburagi and others called“Ugōkai”which aimed for new genre paintings while utilizing the traditions of ukiyo-e. It seems their exhibitions, which featured both literary-themed works and research pieces, always attracted attention.

Also, in May of that year, upon the recommendation of his mentor Toshihide, he began drawingbout illustrations introducing the day's notable matches during the Grand Sumo Summer Tournamentin the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun.
At a time when there was neither television nor radio, newspaper companies competed to report on sumo. They would hire novelists knowledgeable about sumo to cover the event on-site, providing commentary and illustrations that looked like three-panel comics for the day's notable matches.
Among them, Eihō-san's bout illustrations were thoroughly realistic, capturing the characteristics of popular wrestlers. It is said they were very popular, as they accurately conveyed the decisive moments of the matches and the outcomes, along with the commentary by Kigoromo Kurishima.

The sketchbooks from that time displayed at the venue included not only the sand kicked up from the ring and the loosened mawashi of the defeated wrestler, but also the scene inside the arena and the appearance of the gyōji (referee). It must have been useful that he diligently drew various scenes. As a personal fan of sumo, I would have liked to see more of these sketches and works.

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In 1902/Meiji 35, when Eihō-san was 22, his Japanese painting "Ume Goyomi" (Plum Calendar), which he exhibited at the Ugōkai exhibition, forged a new connection.
Recommended by Kōyō Ozaki, who saw the work, he joined the editorial department of Shun'yōdō six months later and began working on many frontispieces for domestic novels. By the way, Shun'yōdō still exists in Ginza today.

Also, in 1906/Meiji 39, he became a commissioned employee of the Ministry of Education and, believe it or not, drew illustrations for textbooks for over 30 years, until 1940! How luxurious is that!!!
Since there are no signatures on textbook illustrations, it seems it is not widely known that Eihō-san drew them. Since they are textbooks, I wonder if many remain today...

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With his work going so well, Eihō-san married a woman four years his junior named Kiku-san in his private life, and they were blessed with three sons and four daughters.
His daughter's comment is impressive.
“He was a father who was very kind to everyone and always kept his promises.”
I'm sure he was, I'm sure he was; he sounds like a wonderful person.

It seems that the grandparents who raised him, live-in disciples, commuting disciples, maids, and even seamstresses lived in their home. A big family! It's cool to support a family with just your own brush, isn't it? I wonder if he spent his days busy but happy.

He also met an important friend, Eitai Itō. Eitai-san, who was four years older than Eihō-san, studied under the same mentor, worked as an illustration artist for the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, and then switched to Japanese painting.
At the exhibition, alongside the Japanese painting drawn by Eitai-san, Eihō-san's Japanese painting "Yakeato" (After the Fire), painted when he was 25 and carefully preserved by Eitai-san's bereaved family, was exhibited for the first time. I was able to view it from a close distance, and the beauty of the woman's indescribable expression was stunning. I stared at it so intently that I forgot to breathe.

However, unfortunately, Eitai-san passed away at the young age of 55... It must have been truly painful to lose someone who had been a friend for over 30 years.
Among Eihō-san's belongings was a photo taken together when they were in their 20s, wearing matching yukata. He must have cherished it for a long time.

However, from this time through his later years, Eihō-san not only lost his friend but also lost all his sons, one daughter, his grandchildren, and his wife in succession... It was just too unreasonable, and it made me feel sad. After that, he lived out his natural life to the age of 88, but life has many ups and downs, doesn't it...

◎ Eihō-san's mentor, Toshihide Migita(Migita Toshihide)was also amazing!

Toshihide Migita was born in 1863/Bunkyū 3 in Usuki City, Ōita Prefecture.
He went to Tokyo at age 13 and entered the studio of his mentor, Yoshitoshi Tsukioka, at age 21.

In 1887/Meiji 20, at age 24, he joined the Mezameshi Shimbun, the predecessor to the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun. He worked on illustrations for newspaper novels for 36 years until he retired.
He became popular for his powerful works in nishiki-e (brocade prints) reporting on the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars, which were as compelling as photographs. He also worked on many actor prints of the 9th Ichikawa Danjūrō.
The actor prints on display were wonderful. The karazuri (blind embossing) was especially amazing! So detailed!!! The woven patterns of the kimono, especially the patterns in the white parts, the hair... both the carver and the printer must have had incredible skills.

In his later years, out of a desire to preserve the fading tradition of nishiki-e, he launched the "Toshihide Zuihitsu Kankōkai" (Toshihide Essay Publication Society) in 1921/Taishō 10 and began publishing nishiki-e.
It seems they were distributed on the 15th of every month for 2 yen per set of two, categorized by themes such as "History Section" and "Essay Section." I wonder if it was like a special edition of an art book in today's terms...
The ones on display were also surprisingly delicate and luxurious. If I had been alive at that time, I would definitely have bought them without fail. I love nishiki-e from the Meiji to Shōwa periods, so I couldn't stop sighing at their magnificence. I would really like many people to see the real things at the venue.

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Like Eihō-san, Toshihide-san also seems to have been a person of character, or rather, a wonderful person. He was a good family man who was indifferent to material desires and fame, and put his family's happiness first. He had a gentle personality and apparently had many disciples. A group photo of all his students in costume was on display, and it was very heartwarming.

◎ Summary

I had so many thoughts that this ended up being over 5,000 characters long, the longest post I've ever written (!)... But it was worth going to see just for that reason.
I was able to learn a lot about Eitomo Hirezaki and his master Toshihide Migita, and I enjoyed the works of those connected to the Utagawa school lineage, such as Yoshitoshi Tsukioka and Kiyokata Kaburagi, in a very compact space.

Since the museum isn't very large, it might be a bit tough if it gets crowded... I think it might get busy once the Ota Memorial Museum of Art reopens, so I highly recommend visiting the Yayoi Museum before that happens.
And I also recommend visiting the Ota Memorial Museum of Art once it resumes operations.

I'm also thinking of putting together an article soon to introduce the Yayoi Museum and the Takehisa Yumeji Museum themselves.

I will also write an article about the exhibition at the Ota Memorial Museum of Art later!!!